GM Dale Tallon on unsigned draft pick Adam Mascherin: He 'didn’t want to be a Panther'

Adam Mascherin, the franchise’s second-round pick in 2016, did not sign with the Florida Panthers by June 1’s deadline, when Florida lost his rights and allowed the winger to reenter the NHL draft this weekend.

Adam Mascherin will not be a Florida Panther, and the team said it’s because he didn’t want to be one.

Mascherin, the franchise’s second-round pick in 2016, did not sign with the Panthers by June 1’s deadline, when Florida lost his rights and allowed the winger to reenter the NHL draft this weekend. The Panthers selected Mascherin with the No. 38 pick two years ago.

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On Tuesday morning during a conference call, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon offered his side of the story.

“What happened?” Tallon said. “He didn’t want to play for the Panthers, that’s what happened. We offered him a very favorable contract and he refused it. Didn’t want to be a Panther. That’s basically as honest as I can be.”

Mascherin, 20, totaled 122 goals and 174 assists in 259 games for Kitchener in the Ontario Hockey League. At 5 foot 10, Mascherin lacks prototypical height of a NHL forward, but is known mostly for his hard and accurate shot.

Mascherin became the latest Panthers draft pick to not sign with Florida, following Zach Hyman in 2015 and Corban Knight in 2013. Florida was able, though, to trade Hyman’s rights to Toronto and Knight’s rights to Calgary. They could not find the right deal for Mascherin.

Multiple reports suggested a breakdown in communication was responsible for a soured relationship between the Panthers and Mascherin. In a December interview, Mascherin said he was not concerned about being unsigned and said he had regular contact with director of player personnel Bryan McCabe.

Mascherin and Hyman are both represented by the same agency: Uptown Hockey.

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